Apparatus for handling materials



Oct. 23, 1934 s. BAKER APPARATUS FOR HANDLING MATERIALS Original Filed July 24, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet ATTORNEY Oct. 23, 1934. D. SBAKER 1,978,099

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING MATERIALS Original Filed July 24, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Get. 23, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS Fora HANDLING MATERIALS DavidSJfBaker, Greenwich,-C'onn. I v

Application my 24. 1929, Serial No. 380,476 i 9 1 Renewed March 23, 1934 1 '10 Claims. ol. 198-154.) x

eitherin edge-to-edgeor in superimposed 'rela- :10. tion, and means for controlling the inovement of such carriers so as to place their carrying elements in edge-to-edge relation at a loading station and in superimposed relation in a treatment space. i

In my (id-pending application, Serial No. 361,383, filed May 8, 1929.1 have described an improved handling apparatus of this type, which" provides for the carriers a track circuit in a vertical plane and three conveyors operating at three different rates of speed to move the carriers around, the circuit. a

The object of my present invention isto simplify such handling apparatus. The invention provides a simplified trackcircuit around which 1251 the carriers maybe moved at two different rates of speed by means of only one conveyor.

Qther objects and advantages of the invention are hereinafter described in connection with a detailed description-of a practical apparatus emfiobodying the invention, which is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig.1 is'a diagrammatic plan view of a fragmerit of the track circuit and conveyor;

Figs. 2Aand2B are the front and rear parts of a diagrammatic elevation of the complete apparatus; H s i Fig. 3 isa plan view of two of the carriers in the treatment space;

Figs. 4 and 5are details showing, in elevation and plan, one of the switches which the track circuit contains and the rails immediately associated therewith; and a 9 i a Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section taken onflthe line 6--6 of Fig. 2B.

The apparatus illustrated includes a large number of collapsible carriers 10, cash provided Withxa plurality of carrying elements 20, and means for moving these carriers in a closed-circuit which takes each carrying element past a loading station L, through a treatment space '1,

to adumpingstation D, and back to the loading station L.

The carriers 10, like those shown in my Patent No. 1,672,404, consistessentiallyof carrying elemerits and ccnnectingmembers hinged together in parallelogram arrangement. The construction of a carrier 10 is best shown in Fig. 3. The carrierhasaconnecting member 11 consisting ofrigid'side-bars 12; 12, joined by tie-rods 13,

and a'connecting member 14 consisting of sidebars 15, 15' joined by tie-rods 16. A number of carrying elements or trays '20. are hinged to the connecting members 11, 14. Each tray, except the upper one 20a, has on its bottomprojections which are pivoted on the tie-rods 1 3, -l6of the connecting members. 9 The upper tray has side-pieces22 rigidly secured to it, and hinged to the upper ends of the side-bars 12, 12 of the connecting member 11,- and to the upper ends of the side-bars 15, 15' of the connecting member 14 by pivots 16. The distance'between; the adjacent pivots of each connecting member is equal to the length 1 of one of the trays 20, so that the trays may be brought into edge-to-edge relation in a common plane by bringing the connecting members together.

Each carrier is provided with three pairs of wheels A, B and C. The wheels A are coaxial with the hinge pivots 16' which connect one of the carryingelement's, 20a, and one of the con- 9 necting members 14. The wheels B are secured on this carrying element 20a at a distance from the wheels A, and the wheels C are mounted on this connecting member 14 at a distance from the Wheels A.

To provide for engagement of the carriers by the flights of a chain conveyor, the wheels A have projecting axles A.

To provide for bringing eachcarrier into contact with the carrier in front of it in the manner hereinafter described," each carrier is provided with apair of resilient bumpers 25 secured to one end of its side-pieces 22, and adapted to engage the side-pieces 22 of. the next carrier when the carriers are in treatment position as shown in Fig. 3.- 9

The arrangement of the three tracks may best be understood from the diagrammatic views, Figs. 1, 2Aand 2B. Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view, serving merely to indicate the different gauges of the three tracks a, band 0, and to show the three different kinds of lines by which these tracks may be identified in the side elevation, Figs. 2A and 2B. From Fig. 1, it will be noted thatthe widest track a is indicated by a short dash line, theintermediate track?) by a dotted line, and the narrowest track 0 by a long dash line. The three tracks are indicatedby the same three types of lines in Figs. 2A and 23, except that, where tracks a and blie inthe same plane, a dot and dash line is usedto iii indicate them, while, where all three tracks lie in the same plane, a continuous line is used.

The track a forms a closed loop in a vertical plane consisting of an upper horizontal portion indicated by the line abcl, abl, a lower horizontal portion indicated by the line a122, an inclined and curved connecting portion a3, and a slightly inclined and curved connecting portion indicated by the lines a124, a5 and (1216.

The track b also forms a closed loop in a vertical plane which is everywhere coplanar with the track a, except that the inclined and curved connecting portion b3 of the track 1) is horizontally spaced from the corresponding portion of the track a by a distance equal to that which separates the pairs of wheels A and B, and that the portion D5 of the track I) at the dumping station is spaced below the corresponding portion 115 of the track a.

The tracks a and b are continuous throughout, except that they have overlapping, portions (17, D7, (1196 where they pass through the vertical, and the track I) has a switch b9 at the point at which its inclined and curved connecting portion b3 joins the plane of its lower horizontal portion indicated by the line M22.

The track 0 also forms a closed loop in a vertical plane. It has a horizontal upper portion coplanar with the horizontal upper portions of the tracks a and b and indicated by the line abcl, and a horizontal lower portion 02 spaced below the lower horizontal portion ab2 of the tracks a and b by a distance less than the length of the connecting members of the carriers. At the rear or lowering end of the apparatus, the track 0 has an inclined connecting portion 03 which lies wholly outside the tracks a. and b. This is important in order to permit the use of a single conveyor to move the carriers both in loading position and in their descent to the lower horizontal portions of the tracks as hereinafter explained. The front ends of the horizontal portions of the track 0 are connected by oppositely inclined portions 04, c5, and a short horizontal portion 06 at the juncture of the inclines c4, c5, and on a level with the extreme outer part of the curved portion ab6 of the tracks a. and b. It will be noted that the connecting portions 04, c5 of the track 0 extend within and across the loop formed by the tracks a and b. The track 0 is provided with switch-backs c7, 08 at the juncture of its portions 03 and c2 and its portions 06 and 05; with a normally open switch 09 at the point at which its incline c4 crosses the plane of the tracks a and b to permit the passage of the side-pieces 22 of the carriers; and with a normally open switch 010 at the upper end of its connecting portion 03 to permit the passage of the side-pieces 22 of a carrier whose upper wheels are starting to descend along the portions a3, D3 of the tracks a and b.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5. the switch 010 consists of arms pivoted to the rails of the track 0 on a line with the upper end of the connecting portion b3 of the track b. The switch is free to I swing in a semi-circle between a rearwardly extended horizontal position in line with the ends of the horizontal portions abl of the tracks a and b and a forwardly extended horizontal position in which it bridges a gap 012 in the track 0 between the upper horizontal portion of the track and its connecting portion c3. Means (not shown) are provided for preventing the switch from swinging below the horizontal in either direction, and means below the weight 011 are provided for positioning the switch normally in a rearwardly extended position. When the switch is in this position, the wheels A and B of the carrier may pass along the horizontal end portions abl of the tracks a and b and down their inclined portions a3, b3, While the side-pieces 22 of the carrier move over the switch 010 and down through the gap 012 without interference. In order to permit the wheels C of the following carrier to close the switch 010, so that they may pass over it, the track 0 is provided with a short depressed portion 013 immediately in front of the switch 010 which brings the wheels 0 under the switch so that they may force it upwardly as clearly shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The physical construction of the other switches and of the rails of the tracks may be that shown in my aforesaid pending application, Serial No. 361,383. It may be noted that a single pair of rails may be used to provide the tracks a and b wherever these tracks are coplanar.

A chain conveyor 30 is provided to move the carriers around the track circuit. As indicated in Fig. 1, this conveyor consists of two chains located just outside the widest track a, so that its flights 31 may engage the projecting axles A of the carriers wherever the chains are adjacent to the tracks. The chains of the conveyor 30 follow the course of the track a, except along the part of its lower horizontal portion, represented by the line ab2, which passes through the treatment space T, which may be enclosed by a casing Tl., Along that part of the lower horizontal portion of the track a which lies within the treatment space, the chains of the conveyor 30 are spaced upwardly from the track a so that their flights cannot engage the carriers. In order that they may follow this course, the chains pass around pairs of sprockets 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 3'7, and pairs of grooved pulleys 38, 39. The sprockets 34 and pulleys 39 are located so as to direct the chains away from the track a at the entrance to the treatment space, while the pulleys 38 and sprockets 35 are located so as to direct the chains back into proximity to the track a, at the exit end of the treatment space. The sprockes 32, 33 and 34 at the lowering end of the apparatus are mounted on stub shafts so as not to interfere with the carriers descending from the upper horizontal tracks to the lower horizontal tracks. The other sprockets and the pulleys may be mounted on cross-shafts.

In order to secure a steady movement of the conveyor and to avoid undue strains on it, the stub shafts. 40 on which the sprockets 33 are mounted are preferably provided with fly wheels 41 as shown in Fig. 6. The conveyor is driven by power applied either to these stub shafts or to the shaft on which any one of its other pairs of sprockets are mounted.

The flights 31 of the conveyor are separated by a distance which is equal to the length of a tray multiplied by the number of trays on each carrier. The length of the conveyor is in even multiple of this distance. The flights are made double so as to prevent a carrier, whose projecting shafts A are engaged by a flight, from running ahead of the conveyor at the lowering end of the apparatus.

In the use of the apparatus which has been described, there are placed on the tracks a number of the carriers 10 equal to the number of flights on the portion of the conveyor adjacent to the track a, and, in addition, a number of carriers suificient to completely fill the treatment space T. The carriers are drawn along reach the right-hand end of the upper horizontal portion of the track 0, they roll into the depressed portion 013 of the track 0 under the normally open switch 010, raise and close the switch, and pass over it tothe portion c3 of the track 0. Assoon as the wheels C have reached the incline 03,.the switch 010 is automatically reopened. The wheels C descend. along this incline, while the wheels A and'B of the carrier are continuing to travel along the horizontal portions ofthe tracks a and b, so thatthe connecting members of the carrier are swung downward to bring its trays into stepped superimposed relation. When the wheels A and B reach the? right-hand end of 1 the upper horizontal portions of the tracks a and b, the side-pieces 22 on the carrier pass over the open switch 010 and the wheels A and B descend along the parallel inclines a3, b3, maintaining the traysof the carrier horizontal. Immediately after wheels A and B of one carrier start to descend ;the inclines a3, b3, the wheels C of the following carrier close the switch 010 and pass onto the incline c3 beforethefirst carrier has completed its descent; but, owingto the fact that the incline 03 is wholly outside the inclines a3, b3,

- ;;there is nointerference between the two closely spaced descending carriers.

As the wheels A and B of a descending carrier reach the lower horizontal portions 11132 of the tracks a and b, the wheels C of this carrier pass ;over and then under the normally open switchback 07. The carrier with its trays in stepped relation is then moved inward, until, at the entrance of the treatment space, its bumpers 25 encounter the side-pieces 22 of the carrier next ahead of it.

:Ill then pushes all the carriers in the treatment space forward one tray-length before the flights of the conveyor which have been in engagement with itsprojecting shafts A move upward around the sprockets 34 and release it. No further movement of the carriers in the treatment space occurs until the next descending carrier is brought by the next flight oi the conveyor into the entrance end of the treatment space. At that time, all the carriers in the treatment space are again moved forward one tray-length.

Whenever the carriersin the treatment space are thus pushed forward, one of the flights of the conveyor is in position to engage the carrier which is pushed out of the'exit end (left-hand end) of the treatment space. This carrier is then drawn forward by the conveyor. Its trays are placed in substantially vertical position when its wheels B descend into the depressed portion 125 of the track b, sothat the material on the trays is dumped into a chute on the dumping station D.

- The relative position of the wheels A and B of the carrier is reversed as these wheels reach the curved portion abG of the tracks a and b. As the wheels A and Breach the upper horizontal por- 'tions of thetracks a and b bypassing around this curve, the wheels C mount the inclines c4 and 05,

passing through the switchback c8, and reaching the upper horizontal portion of the track c in advance of the wheels A and B, so as to bring the the carrier back into loading position, on the upper horizontal portions of the three tracks.

It should be noted that, inpassing around the track circuit, each carrier moves at the same rate of'speed as the conveyor in all parts of the circuit except the treatment space, and that in the treatment space the carriers are moved intermittently but at an average rate which is equal tothe rate of the conveyor divided by the number of trays on each carrier, This makes possible close spacing of the trays of the carriers, both when the carriers have their trays in edge-twedge position at the loading station and when they have their trays in superimposed position in the treatment space.

The load on the conveyor is necessarily greater during the brief intervals in which it is called upon to move forward all the carriers in the treatment space than at other times; but, during these intervalsthe flights of the conveyor which are receiving. this extra load are on the portion of the chains of the conveyor which are in contact with the sprockets 34. The extra force temporarily. required to move forward all the carriers in the treatment space is supplied by the energy stored in the fly wheels 41 associated with the sprockets 34., without any substantial change in the rate of movement of the conveyor, and without any extra strain on the chains of the conveyor.

What I claim is:

1. In apparatus for treating materials, the combination with a number of carriers each provided with a plurality of carrying elements which may be placed either in edge-to-edge or in superposed relation and with a plurality of pairs of Wheels whose relative position controls the relative position of its carrying elements, or a track circuit comprising closed loops of tracks for the pairs of wheels of the carriers, differently spaced from oneanother about the circuit so as to place the carrying elements orthe carriers in superposed position in one part of the circuit and in edge-to-edge position in another part of the circuit, and a chain conveyor provided with flights, extending completely around the circuit, spaced frornthe tracks where the tracks are positioned to place the carrying elements of the carriers in superposed position, and adjacent to the tracks in the remainder of the circuit.

2; The combination with a number of carriers, each provided with a plurality of carrying elements' which may be placed either in edge-toedge or in superposed relation and with a number of pairs of Wheels whose relative position controls the relative position of its carrying elemerits, of a track circuit in a vertical plane comprising closed loops of track for the pairs of wheels of the carriers extending through a treatment space and relatively positioned to place the carrying elements of the carriers in superposed relation in the treatment space and to place them in edge-to-edge relation in another part of the circuit, a chain conveyor extending completely around the circuit, spaced from the tracks in the treatment space, and adjacent to one of the tracks in the rest of the circuit, and flights on said conveyor separated by a distance equal to the length of a carrier when the carrier has its carrying elements in edge-tO-edge relation.

3. The combination with a number of carriers, each provided with a plurality of carrying elements which may be placed either in edge-toedge or in superposed relation and with pairs of wheels at its upper and lower ends whose relative position controls the relative position of its carrying elements, of a closed track circuit for the upper wheels of the carriers having upper and lower horizontal portions and curved connecting portions at the ends of the horizontal portions, a track circuit for the lower wheels of the carriers having an upper horizontal portion on a level with the upper horizontal portion of the first track circuit, a lower horizontal portion spaced below the lower horizontal portion of the first circuit and connecting portions at the ends of its horizontal portions, and a chain conveyor with flights for moving the carriers around said track circuits and lying adjacent to the upper horizontal portion and the connecting portions of the first track circuit and being spaced from the lower horizontal portion of said first track circuit.

4. The combination with a number of carriers, each provided with a plurality of carrying elements which may be placed either in edge-toedge or in superposed relation and with pairs of wheels for its upper and lower ends whose relative position controls the relative position of its carrying elements, of a first closed track circuit for the upper wheels of the carriers comprising upper and lower horizontal portions and connecting portions at the ends of the horizontal portions, a second track circuit for the lower wheels of the carriers comprising an upper horizontal portion on a level with the upper horizontal portion of the first circuit, a lower horizontal portion spaced below the lower horizontal portion of the first circuit, a connecting portion at one end of its horizontal portions lying wholly outside the first track circuit and a connecting portion at the other end of its horizontal portions extending within the first track circuit, and a chain conveyor for moving the carriers around the circuit lying adjacent to the horizontal upper portions and connecting portions of the first track circuit and being spaced from the lower horizontal. portion of the first track circuit.

5. The combination with a carrier having a pluralty of carryng elements and connecting members hinged together in parallelogram arrangement and provided with two upper pairs of wheels of diiierent gauges and a lower pair of wheels, of a track for each upper pair of wheels consisting of an upper horizontal part, a

lower horizontal part and an inclined connecting part, the upper and lower parts of the tracks being coplanar and the inclined parts being spaced apart by a horizontal distance equal to the dis tance between the two pairs of wheels, and a track for the lower pair of wheels consisting of an upper horizontal part coplanar with the upper horizontal parts of the tracks for the upper wheels, a lower horizontal part spaced below the .lcwer horizontal parts of the tracks for the upper wheels and an inclined connecting part located wholly outside the inclined connecting parts of the tracks for the upper pairs of Wheels.

6. In apparatus for treating materials, the

combination of a number of carriers each provided with a plurality of carrying elements which may be placed either in edge-to-edge or in superimposed relation and with resilient bumpers adapted to engage an adjacent carrier when the carriers have their carrying elements in superimposed relation, tracks for the carriers positioned to place their trays in edge-to-edge relation, followed by tracks for the carriers positioned to place their trays in superimposed relation, and moving means for engaging each carrier on said first tracks and releasing it on said second tracks, so that on the second tracks its bumpers engage and push forward the carrier ahead of it.

'7. A carrier, comprising a carrying element, side-pieces rigidly secured to said carrying element, two pairs of wheels mounted on said sidepieces, parallel connecting members hinged to said side-pieces, a plurality of other carrying elements hinged to both said connecting members and parallel to said first carrying element, a pair of wheels on one of said connecting members, and resilient bumpers on said side-pieces positioned to engage the side-pieces of a similar carrier when the connecting members of both carriers extendat an angle to the horizontal.

8. The, combination with a plurality of carriers, of a track circuit passing into, through and out of a treatment space, a chain conveyor provided with spaced flights extending away from said track circuit at the entrance to the treatment space, in spaced relation to the track circuit at the treatment space, towards said track circuit at the exit of the treatment space and adjacent to the remainder of the track circuit, a sprocket engaging said conveyor at the point at which it extends away from the track at the entrance to the treatment space, and a fly wheel fixed to said sprocket.

9. The combination with a number of carriers, each provided with a plurality of carrying elements which may be placed either in edge-toedge or superimposed relation and with upper and. lower pairs of wheels whose relaive position controls the relative position of its carrying elements, of a first closed track circuit for the upper wheels of the carriers, comprising upper and lower horizontal portions and connecting portions at the ends of the horizontal portions, a second track circuit for the lower wheels of the carrier, comprising an upper horizontal portion on a level with the upper horizontal portion of the first circuit throughout substantially the whole length of said upper horizontal portion, a lower horizontal portion placed below the lower horizontal portion of the first circuit and connecting portions at the ends of its horizontal portions, means for moving the carriers around the circuit and maintaining them closely spaced one behind another in the horizontal portions of the circuit, and loading means continuously discharging material upon the carrying elements of the carriers during their movement along the upper horizontal portion of the circuits.

10. Apparatus for handling materials, comprising the combination of more than two continuous traveling platforms directly superimposed throughout substantially their entire lengths, loading means continuously discharging material upon the uppermost platform, means for moving the uppermost platform rapidly in one direction and for moving the lower platforms slowly in the opposite direction, means for repeatedly removing a plurality of short sections from the advancing end of the upper platform, lowering said sections and applying them individually to the receding ends of the lower platforms, and means for repeatedly removing a short section from the advancing end of each of the lower platforms, inclining said sections to dump the material thereon and raising them and applying them collectively to the receding end of the uppermost platform. 

